Westmoreland category, Page 444
Whistleblower lawsuit filed against Ruffs Dale company
A former quality assurance director at a Ruffs Dale in-home care company contends in a federal lawsuit he was fired after reporting allegations that covid-relief funds were misappropriated and staff-training documents were falsified. Bryan Kantorczyk claimed Gene Cook Supports Inc. — the company where he worked for more than six...
Hempfield taps 3 veteran firefighters as assistant chiefsVideo
Three longtime members of Hempfield’s volunteer fire service will serve as assistant fire chiefs, new positions that will bring the responsibility of establishing command at fire and emergency scenes. Don Thoma, Dan Thoma and Jay Wilkinson took their oath of office Monday during a supervisor’s reorganization meeting. “We’ve made history...
Award-winning pastry chef joins WCCC culinary program faculty
Award-winning Chef William Racin has joined the Westmoreland County Community College School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality as a full-time baking and pastry instructor. With more than 18 years of experience in fine dining restaurants and boutique hotels, Racin comes to WCCC from the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, where he...
1 dead in Norvelt house fire, victim identifiedVideo
A state police fire marshal was attempting to determine the cause of a fast-moving fire Wednesday that killed a woman and destroyed a two-story home in Mt. Pleasant Township. The fire was reported just before 11 a.m. at 814 Arbor Lane in the village of Norvelt. Westmoreland County Coroner Timothy...
Westmoreland happenings: bingos, turkey dinner and meetings
Fundraisers • Lincoln Heights Civic Association will host bingo from 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 6 and 20 at the center, 42 Millersdale Road, Jeannette. There will be 20 regular games and five quickies. Cost: 25 cents for a three-card bingo board and $1 for quickies. Payout is 50/50. Free...
Latrobe moves forward with surveillance, video upgrades, underpass rehabVideo
Latrobe officials this year are taking steps to move forward with several improvements, including boosting surveillance capabilities downtown and videoconferencing technology in council chambers. City Manager Michael Gray told council Monday he is set to review agreements with the Latrobe Foundation for sharing costs of new surveillance cameras to be...
‘Monticello Lights’ raises more than $20,000 for Delmont VFD and Project Bundle UpVideo
Delmont Volunteer Fire Department Chief Don Kline didn’t pull any punches when asked about his annual budget. “The budget is whatever I’m able to raise,” Kline said. “We have two gun bashes each year, but we’ve lost a lot of events to covid, and we don’t receive borough money.” That...
Interim Westmoreland election chief handed bonus as search for new director restarts
The search to fill the vacant director’s job at the Westmoreland County Election Bureau will begin anew as work in advance of the 2022 primary will continue to be overseen by the county’s public works head. Commissioners this week gave a $5,000 bonus to Greg McCloskey, who since last summer...
Former Jeannette councilwoman appointed as controller
Nancy Peters isn’t quite ready to leave Jeannette city government. After losing re-election for council, she opted to take another job at city hall — controller. Peters, 74, was the only person who submitted a resume and letter of interest for the post after the winner of a 30-way tie...
Unity auditors raise pay for supervisors/roadmasters to $31.40
Unity supervisors are planning an aggressive road paving program this year, and they will be earning more as they oversee that work in their dual roles as roadmasters. Township auditors Ed Saxton and Gus Matta on Tuesday granted the three supervisor/roadmasters a raise of $2.40, bringing their hourly pay to...
3 accused of abandoning pet ferrets at county park in Hempfield
Westmoreland County Park Police cited three people Tuesday with animal cruelty-related charges, saying they abandoned two pet ferrets at Twin Lakes Park in Hempfield, according to court records. Sonia Hermann, 40, of Delmont and Danette Hermann and Jesse Lucas, both, 21, of Little River, S.C., were cited for animal cruelty...
Westmoreland County Prison inmate accused of threatening guard with razor
A 65-year-old Westmoreland County Prison inmate was arraigned Monday on charges of threatening a female guard with a razor blade, according to court documents. County detectives charged Dale E. Baum of Derry Township with two counts of aggravated assault in connection with the alleged Dec. 6 incident. Baum, who was...
Jeannette police seek help to identify woman seen leaving home just before suspicious fire
Jeannette police are trying to identify a woman seen leaving a home on Magee Avenue over the weekend just before a fire there, according to Chief Donald Johnston Jr. The blaze was reported at 5:20 p.m. Saturday. Authorities said it is suspicious. Firefighters extinguished the flames quickly because someone spotted...
Lower body of Twin Lakes drained to fix retaining wall, to be refilled by trout season
Water in the lower lake at Twin Lakes Park will remain low for most of the winter as crews repair a retaining wall and restore walkways that wind around the lake, officials said. The water level was dropped by about 6 feet when the project began in late November, allowing...
Former Pirates pitcher’s appeal of sex conviction rejected by Westmoreland judge
The conviction of former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, who was found guilty last year in the sexual assault of a 13-year-old Scottdale girl, will stand — according to a ruling from a Westmoreland County judge. Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears, in a 78-page opinion, ruled evidence presented during a...
Hempfield-based rescue group foots medical bills to promote senior dog adoptions
Bones takes arthritis medication twice a day to relieve pain in his legs, while Bruce relies on pills to help control his seizures. Those ongoing medical problems didn’t prevent respective owners Makayla Losteter and Jessica Sullenberger from welcoming the older dogs into their homes, but a program recently introduced by...
Increased salaries set for new Westmoreland DA office heads
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli won her first case Monday. Ziccarelli’s victory came not in the courtroom but in the boardroom as the county’s salary board unanimously backed her plan to increase the pay for a newly appointed first assistant and chief detective. The annual salary for First Assistant...
Connellsville man sentenced to 40 years in prison for rape of child
A Connellsville man was ordered Monday to serve up to 40 years in prison for the rape of a child that a Westmoreland County judge described as “one of the worst cases of a sexual nature that I’ve seen.” Shawn Tracy Melville, 44, pleaded guilty in October to eight offenses...
Hempfield home destroyed in blaze; 2 firefighters hurt
A Hempfield home was destroyed in a fire Sunday night and two firefighters were hurt, according to Township Fire Chief Anthony Kovacic. The blaze was reported on Farmington Place just before 8 p.m. When firefighters got there, flames were shooting through the roof and attempts to get inside with a...
Community cooperation helps police identify suspect in Rostraver fatal New Year’s shooting
Holly B. Vadella of Rostraver spent New Year’s Eve at her mother’s house watching television before insisting not long after midnight that she needed to head home and take care of her cat, said township police Chief John Christner. “Her mom did try to convince her to stay,” Christner said....
1st New Year’s baby in Westmoreland makes late appearance
The first baby born in Westmoreland County in the new year made a late appearance on New Year’s Day at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, but it was earlier than her mother’s doctors had predicted. Rosalind Grace Weimer, the daughter of Katlyn, 25, and Michael Weimer, 27, of Hempfield...
Franklin Regional FRobotics team gets back into gear with new workspace
The Franklin Regional FRobotics team was watching its robot undergo its inspection, one of the last steps before competing at the March 2020 robotics competition in New York. And that was when competition organizers sent everyone home as covid-19 shutdowns began in earnest across the state’s schools. So when the...
Hempfield residents will be able to use OpenGov to apply for permits online
Several processes traditionally completed at Hempfield’s municipal building will move online next year, making it easier for community members to apply for permits and applications. Beginning Monday, residents and developers will have access to the Hempfield Township Online Service Center, powered by OpenGov, a California-based company that creates software and...
Slippery Rock program for students with intellectual disabilities offers Greensburg woman chance to thrive
Lizzie Ammons had fought too hard to let the prospect of college slip from her grasp when word began circulating that Slippery Rock University might shutter its Rock Life program — one of about 300 college programs across the nation for students with intellectual disabilities. Ammons, 21, of Greensburg was...
Recreation, conservation projects in A-K Valley, Westmoreland County to get state grants
Grants totaling nearly $70 million will help fund more than 300 recreation and conservation projects across the state, including a number in the Alle-Kiski Valley and Westmoreland County, Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced. Included among the more than two dozen grants from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for...
